Standout Oakland A's pitcher Sonny Gray had his No. 2 football jersey retired at Smyrma (Tenn.) Thursday. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back state 5A titles as the team's quarterback.
Photo by Jason Goode
is one of the most promising pitchers in the American League, but on Thursday night he was honored for his football prowess.
The right-handed pitcher of the Oakland A's had his No. 2 football jersey retired at
Smyrna (Tenn.), where as the team's quarterback he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back 5A state titles starting in 2006.
He was voted the state's top all-around athlete by the Tennessean in 2007 and 2008.
The ceremony took place at halftime of Smyrna's 42-20 home loss to Riverdale.
Gray's football career was outdone on the baseball field, where he went 11-2 with a 0.95 ERA as a junior and as a senior, when he was 4-0 with a 0.79 ERA. His senior year ended early due to an injury.
At 6-foot and 180 pounds, Gray's career in football was considered limited, so he took the baseball route, first attending Vanderbilt University for three seasons. His junior year, he went 12-4 with a 2.43 ERA and then opted for the Major League Baseball draft.
He was selected with the 18th pick in the 2011 Draft by the A's, who gave him a $1.54 million signing bonus. He has a career 19-13 mark with a 2.99 ERA for the A's.
Back when Gray was in high school, MaxPreps professional photographer Dennis Marpuri caught him in action in a 2008 game. Here are some photos from that contest:
